


Signs of Life

by aruarudayo, TabooMonster123



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: !!!!!!, Abuse, Family, Friendship, Gen, More tags will be added later, Neglect, Post-Movie, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Starvation, Torture, team fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-03-01 23:21:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2791424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aruarudayo/pseuds/aruarudayo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabooMonster123/pseuds/TabooMonster123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A month after Callaghan’s arrest, the team explores the island once more in hopes of turning it into a training ground. There, they make an unbelievable discovery and are forced to reevaluate their view of loss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Why couldn’t we have taken a boat? Or maybe Fred’s helicopter so I wouldn’t have to look at all that water that’s just begging to _swallow me alive_?”

“Woman up, Wasabi,” Gogo said, leaning into the wind. “It’s a five-minute flight, and it’s easier to start up Baymax’s rocket boots than anything else. He’s always on, anyway.”

Fred, at least, was enjoying himself. “We’re reliving our origin story, people! Sure beats chasing after petty thieves, am I right?”

“I could do without reliving this part, just saying!” Wasabi squeaked, trying his best not to look down.

“But think of all the space we’ll have to practice our moves and blow stuff up!” Grinning, Fred added, “We could even, like, trick it out into a base of operations: Big Hero Six HQ Island!”

“Remember, you guys; we’re here to scout out Krei’s island as a training area. I love explosions as much as the next girl, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Honey Lemon called over the wind. She watched Hiro out of the corner of her eye, worried. He hadn’t spoken much during the ride. Even though this expedition had been his idea, the closer they got to the island, the more closed off he became.

Baymax shifted his grip on Wasabi, causing the man’s stomach to lurch. “I expect we will be arriving in two minutes. Please prepare yourselves for landing.”

“Thanks, Baymax.” Hiro barely moved his gaze off the island they were heading towards as he spoke.

The girls exchanged glances over his head. Wasabi likely would’ve done the same with Fred, but he was perfectly happy staring at Baymax’s forearm for the time being. And Fred, well, between his own focus on the island and his inability to really see or even hear Hiro through the suit and the wind, he didn’t bring it up either.

Baymax angled into a dive and coasted gently down to the loading dock they’d first landed on a little over a month ago. KreiTech’s former compound retained its abandoned demeanor, and in addition to that the memories associated with the place made Hiro shiver.

“Are you cold, Hiro?” Honey Lemon asked quietly.

“Let’s just get this over with,” he muttered, striding towards the hole Wasabi had clumsily cut in the side of the building.

"Wasn’t this _his_ idea?!” Wasabi asked.

Gogo pulled out several maps from inside her suit. “This place is pretty big, so we’ll have to split up if we want to check everything today.”

“I’ll take Baymax,” Hiro said, before stepping through the hole and disappearing into the dark.

“Are we… sure this was a good idea?” Honey asked.

“Little man’s gotta work through his feelings somehow,” Fred reasoned. “Wanna team up, Gogo?”

“Not on your life.”

Wasabi stared at the mangled doorway, listening to Hiro’s footsteps receding. “I think I’ll go with him. You know, as back up.” He grabbed a copy of the map from Gogo. “Thanks,” he said, before jogging after their youngest.

“Guess it’s us three, then!” Honey Lemon said brightly.

Gogo snapped her gum with a scoff. “Wasabi’s being a big brother, but that doesn’t mean the three of us need to stick together. I work faster alone.” She adjusted her helmet and opened up a communications channel. “If you find anything, let us know.”

“ _Before_ you go running right into it, people!” Wasabi added. “We don’t know what’s in here aside from what Krei told us.”

“Alrighty! Adventure time with Honey Lemon and Fred! Let’s do this!”

 

****

“You didn’t have to follow me. I can take care of myself,” Hiro said, closing the door to the room they’d just looked through. They’d made surprising progress, nearing the back of the lab already, mostly due to Hiro’s ridiculous pace.

 _Sure, kid, you keep telling yourself that._ “Like I said, I’m just here for back up,” Wasabi answered placatingly. “It isn’t that you can’t do it alone, it’s that you don’t have to.” He paused, before adding, “That’s what it means to be a team, remember?”

Hiro half shrugged. “Doesn’t mean you guys have to babysit me all the time.”

“We’re not babysitting you,” Wasabi replied, turning the corner after his friend. “We’re just looking out for you, like Honey does with Gogo and Baymax does for all of us.”

“There’s a difference between looking out for someone and hovering. You guys are hovering; you have been since I mentioned wanting to come back here.”

Wasabi sighed. Sometimes being friends with a genius was rough, and Hiro could be more perceptive than most. “Alright, fine. We’re worried about you, okay? You’ve been weird since we started planning this thing. Well, weirder,” he amended, glancing at the tiny antenna Hiro had installed on Baymax’s helmet to, quote, “play some sick tunes” while they were on patrol.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Hiro replied. “I’m fifteen, not five, and I’m just as smart and capable as the rest of you.”

“Personal competency is not a reflection of one’s value to others,” Baymax chimed in. “Wasabi is simply expressing an ongoing concern for your well-being that is shared by all of your friends.”

 _Thank you, Baymax._ “We’re not trying to stifle you. We’re just worried.”

“I’m fine,” Hiro snapped.

“See, that right there is why none of us believe you.”

“Would you just leave me alone?” Hiro yelled, his voice echoing down the halls. Wasabi stopped short, alarmed at the sudden show of emotion. Hiro tugged off his helmet to drag his hand through his hair as he began pacing in frustration. “It’s bad enough that I hate the feeling this place gives me and coming here may not have been the best idea, but you all– you just make it worse; it’s like Ta–Tadashi made you all come nag me for him, and it freaks me out.”

He leaned with his back up against the next door in the hall, sliding down to the ground.

Wasabi took a deep breath; he was okay with kids, but teenagers…that was a different story. He joined Hiro on the wall, Baymax mirroring him on the boy’s other side. “Hey, listen kiddo, no one expects you to be over Tadashi’s death. It’s only been two months. That isn’t nearly enough time to adjust, and after everything with Callaghan and Krei, things have only just started settling down.”

“It’s not…” Hiro started, taking a deep breath himself. “I’m okay. Really. I mean, it hurts, but it’s not all bad anymore. It’s just...I want to take care of myself. I spent my whole life depending on my brother for everything, and now that he’s gone, I just want to be able to show him, wherever he is, that I’m going to be okay.”

“I think he knows that already,” Wasabi said, a small smile on his lips. He ruffled Hiro’s hair a bit, despite his weak protests. “But still, I don’t know if you realized it, but you’ve basically acquired four big brothers and sisters, and you’re not getting rid of this family that easily.”

Hiro grinned back, an expression that made Wasabi’s heart soar. “I guess I have no choice, huh?”

“What are you dorks doing?” A snap of bubble gum and the hum of electromagnets alerted them to Gogo’s entrance.  “This isn’t a picnic where you can just stop and sit wherever you want.”

The two boys scrambled to their feet. “Ah, Gogo! You sure got here fast!” Wasabi exclaimed, his voice pitching higher with embarrassment. “Though, I guess that makes sense with those wheels of yours.”

“We were just, uh, taking a break before checking out this room,” Hiro chimed in, grabbing the handle, but when he tried opening it, the door refused to budge. “Huh, that’s weird.” He frowned slightly. “It’s locked. None of the other rooms were locked.”

Gogo tried to slide the door open herself, tugging uselessly to the side before finally giving up with a huff. “But Krei told us that he didn’t see a reason to lock anything; no one comes here anyway.”

“This door is not on the map.”

The three of them turned towards the tinny voice to find Baymax examining the blueprints Krei had given them, and indeed, there was only blank space behind the supposedly uninterrupted wall they were standing in front of.

“Hey, Honey? Fred?” Wasabi said over the comm line, “You guys should get over here.”

 

****

“Maybe we should go talk to Professor Callaghan or Mr. Krei before we do this,” Wasabi said, reluctant to turn on his laser blades and cause even more damage to the structure.

“No,” Hiro replied immediately. “We don’t have time for that. Or for them.”

“Whatever’s in here must be important,” Honey Lemon added. “It’d be better to deal with whatever it is sooner rather than later. Besides, it was difficult enough to sync up our schedules for this trip, and with midterms coming up I’m not sure we’ll have another opportunity.”

Fred stood in front of the door, examining it with a frown. “Guys, I don’t think this is the same kind of door as the one we came in through,” he pointed out. “Callaghan must have built this when he was still here.”  

Baymax cocked his head. “I will scan it now.” He paused. “Scan complete. There appear to be no vulnerabilities in the door. However, its metal is newer and of a different composition than the rest of this building. I suggest proceeding with caution.”

Gogo appraised the door carefully. Turning to Wasabi, she asked, “Do you think it’s possible to cut along the jamb?”

Wasabi hummed thoughtfully. “We’d have to be careful it doesn’t fall on us, but I think Baymax should be able to take care of that.”

“There is no need to worry. I will help you.” Baymax lifted his finger as he spoke. “The door weighs approximately four hundred pounds and is well within my ability to carry.”

“We’re not worried about that, Baymax,” Hiro said.

“Is anyone else, like, not worried at all? What if we find some kind of mutant pet in there or something?” Fred rubbed his hands together eagerly.

Gogo rolled her eyes. “If that happens, you’re welcome to go first,”  she said, then turned back to Wasabi. “How long will it take to cut through it?”

“No idea,” Wasabi answered. “We don’t know what this thing is made of.”

Honey’s face brightened. “We _do_ know it’s density!” She turned to Baymax. “Assuming it’s a metal alloy that’ll melt when Wasabi’s lasers come into contact with it, how long will it take to get through that door?”

“We don’t know how thick it is, though,” Wasabi countered. “I might not cut all the way through for all we know–”

“We’re wasting time,” Hiro said testily. His eyes never left the door, staring with such an alarming intensity that it almost seemed like he knew what was behind it. “Just start cutting, Wasabi. Baymax’ll take care of the rest.”

Wasabi nodded slowly, then aimed his hands at the door. “Stand back,” he warned, before activating his lasers and plunging them into the crease between the door and the jamb.

With Baymax’s instructions and support, Wasabi cut along the door’s edges, carefully slicing through all of the locks holding it in place. With one final slash, he exclaimed, “Done! It’s open!”

“Then _open it_ ,” Gogo hissed, but Honey was already tugging it to the side.

Wasabi was the first to peer in, laser hands at the ready. Bright fluorescent lights shone from above, a stark contrast to the dimness of the hallway. There wasn’t much to look at, the room barely big enough to be a functional bedroom. A sink sat on the left with a small wall likely hiding a toilet on its other side.

On the far wall, a bare cot was pushed into the back right corner, empty cans piled at its foot. The figure on the cot twitched, curling farther beneath a coat jacket. Dark eyes flitted to the door, watching dully as Wasabi stood dumbly at the entrance. Honey Lemon, Fred, and Gogo poked their heads in around their friend’s bulk, and they too stopped in their tracks.

Wasabi was the first to speak aloud:

“Tadashi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is Aruchyan. You guys may or may not have read some of my things. I’m here once again in the BH6 fandom, and this time, I’ve brought a friend! TB123 is one of my favorite people and after years of painstakingly editing my work we’ve decided to collaborate on something which is this thing you just read. Let’s be honest here; who thought this was another Alive!Tadashi AU? We tried our best to make it not so obvious but I’m honestly not so sure whether we succeeded haha We have a lot planned for this, and we’ll be working on it a lot over the next few weeks until we have to go back to school, so stay tuned! Anyway, let me turn it over to the rookie; thanks a lot for reading, and please tell us what you think!
> 
> TB123 here! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted fanfiction, and this is my first time posting on AO3. I am super excited for this project of ours; it will probably end up being the longest piece I’ve ever worked on, and I’m really glad I’m getting to do it with Aruchyan. She’s more of a veteran when it comes to actually writing fic than I am. Neither of us thought it was AT ALL fair that Tadashi just frickin’ /dies/ so while we were throwing au ideas at one another… well… this thing happened. I really wanna hear your thoughts on this, and since finals are just about done we’re going to be working on this quite a bit, so we’ll be around to respond to your comments and answer your questions. I can’t wait to hear you guys’ responses, and I hope you enjoy our fic as much as we do!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well we somehow managed to get this chapter out just a week after the first while also preparing gifts for our families and friends (and squeezing in a rewatch of BH6 in the meantime). We’d like to make note that while the first chapter is fairly tame, we’ve now bumped up the rating of this fic and included several other warnings in our tags. From here on out this story deals with increasingly graphic depictions of torture, PTSD, abuse, and neglect, and while we’d love it if everyone read our fic, we’d much rather make certain our readers are comfortable with the material.
> 
> We love all of you that have supported this fic by reading, subscribing, and leaving kudos and comments. And even if you don’t celebrate it, feel free to accept this chapter as an early Christmas gift, from us to you. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to have something ready before the New Year, so let me say this now: I hope you all continue to support us in the coming year, and that everyone has a wonderful holiday.

Before Wasabi’s words registered in her head, or even before she fully processed the contents of the room, Honey Lemon rushed through the door. It was instinct; someone needed help, and that was all there was to it. 

As she kneeled by the side of the cot and started looking him over, the fact that this was _Tadashi_ echoed around her brain, and she didn’t even notice the tears in her eyes.

”Are you okay? You’re thin as a stick!” She naturally moved to check his temperature and felt him tense before eventually relaxing into her touch and closing his eyes. “Oh my god, you’re burning up; what are you doing here without a blanket? This isn’t a way to treat a person!” She turned back to the door, crying, “Baymax, come here, please!” and barely missed how Tadashi flinched at the noise.

The stupor that had fallen over the rest of them broke as the large robot tried to make his way through the door. They all clambered into the room and to Honey Lemon’s side, completely in awe.

“Wha—Who—Tadashi, what are you doing here?!” Wasabi squeaked once he found his voice.

“Who did this to you?” Gogo asked quietly, anger heating every word.

Fred, for once, was silent, taking off his mask as he stood behind the other three, Tadashi’s eyes training on him nervously.

Baymax finally reached Honey Lemon, glancing over the group before stopping on his creator. “Tadashi is here,” he said, a hint of awe somehow making its way into the monotone.

“Please scan him, Baymax; he’s in bad shape,” Honey Lemon implored, grasping Tadashi’s hand.

“Scanning now…Scan complete.” As she watched, the chemical engineer could have sworn Baymax’s eyes narrowed. “Tadashi shows many signs of malnourishment and dehydration. This has lead to weight loss, lethargy, and potential muscle atrophy. He also has a compromised immune system and is running a temperature of approximately 39ºC. There are a number of contusions and lacerations on his body, as well as two broken ribs, a broken tibia, four broken phalanges and several other fractures. There are also signs that his right ankle was dislocated and reset not long ago.”

Wasabi gingerly lifted up Tadashi’s makeshift blanket, a look of horror making it way onto his face. “Some of these cuts look infected. We’ve got to get him out of here.”

Baymax glanced down at them. “My current capabilities will not be enough to fully assist him, and this structure is interfering with my ability to contact emergency medical personnel. Shall I go outside to contact them?"

Fred's hand appeared out the top of his suit, waving around his phone as he started back towards the door. "Hey, don't sweat it, marshmallow bro. I'll call someone; it'd be better if you stayed here—"

Fred stopped abruptly, prompting Honey Lemon and the others looked back to the door. Hiro hadn’t moved. He stood there, staring at Tadashi’s limp form with wide eyes. Honey held her breath.

A rattling gasp pulled her away from Hiro and back to Tadashi. His eyes and mouth opened, and Honey could see beads of blood forming on his cracked lips as they moved.

“Hiro,” he rasped.

With her back to the door, Honey heard Hiro’s breath catch, but she didn’t have time to look back before he turned heel and ran.

 

****

“Hiro! Wait up, dude!” Jumping in the super suit was one thing, but Fredzilla was not meant for running after a small teenager in hallways with low ceilings. It probably didn’t help that Hiro had had more than enough practice dodging bullies in high school. Gogo’s super speed would have been useful here, but between the shock of finding Tadashi and being too far from the door, no one except Fred had reacted to Hiro’s escape.

It wasn’t until they exited the facility entirely that the boy stopped, having nowhere else to go without Baymax. Both of them gasping for breath, Fred finally closed the gap between them. “Finally...caught up…” he wheezed, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder for both reassurance—whose, he wasn’t entirely sure—and to make sure Hiro wouldn’t try running again.

“For such small legs you can run really fast,” he grumbled, but his expression softened when he made Hiro turn to face him. The teen refused to look at him, eyes trained on the floor, shoulders tense and trembling. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Hiro opened his mouth as if to say something but shut it almost as quickly.

Fred sighed, patting him on the shoulder a few times and hoping that was enough while his friend dealt with his emotions. Then, he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. “Hey, Heathcliff, my man! Think you can send over our family doctor?”

He explained the situation to his butler in a hushed voice, along with their location and a request for a helicopter. Out of the corner of his eye, Fred saw Hiro take off his helmet and just _breathe_. “Yeah, thanks man. See you.” Through the team’s intercom, he spoke to the group back inside. “Hey guys, Heathcliff is coming with the helicopter, so if Baymax could bring him out here ahead of time I think that would be best for all of us.”

For a moment, shouts made their way through the headset. “All right, we’ll see what we can do,” he heard Gogo say, slightly out of breath. He wasn’t really worried about them; they could take care of themselves. As for the boy in front of him, well, that was debatable.

“The fresh air helping?” He joined Hiro on top of one of the crates scattered on the loading dock. Hiro rested his head on top of his helmet as he stared out onto the water, distress apparent in his dark eyes, those eyes that always reminded him so much of Tadashi’s.

Fred shuddered at the recent memory, haunted by the look their friend had first given them—the lifelessness, hopelessness, the almost complete absence of Tadashi. He could only imagine how Hiro felt.

“Hey, Hiro, I know I’m usually a big goofball,” he began softly, “but I can be a really good listener if you want me to be.”

Hiro didn’t respond at first; Fred was worried he hadn’t been heard. But then the boy replied, “Thanks, Fred. That means a lot.” He turned to him with a slightly wavering smile. “I’m just glad you’re here. That’s enough for now. I… I just need to work through some stuff; it’s a lot to take in, you know?”

Fred decided to leave it at that, not wanting to push him. He searched the skyline for the helicopter until the rest of their party emerged from the building. Baymax glowed a warm red through his armor as he cradled a sleeping Tadashi, who still shivered in his hold, looking far too small in his arms.

“There’s no doubt that Callaghan was keeping him here,” Gogo stated, an edge to her words. “He suddenly got really frantic, asking for the professor.”

“The poor thing fell and wouldn’t calm down, so Baymax gave him a sedative so we could bring him out here,” Honey Lemon added, wringing her hands like she usually did when she was upset.

The sound of blades cutting through air made its way to his ears, and they looked up to where the helicopter was preparing to descend.

Once the chopper landed and they started boarding, Hiro’s voice crackled over the communicator, loud and clear despite the noise around them. “I’m going to take Baymax; since there’s a doctor here I don’t think he’s needed.”

“Hiro, you shouldn’t go off on your own,” Wasabi protested.

“I’m just going to clear my head. I’ll be over the city, okay? I’ll be fine.”

Before Wasabi could respond, Gogo waved Hiro off. “Alright, kid. We’ll text you where we’ll be once we talk Krei into finding us a hospital room where no one will ask questions.” She clapped a hand on his shoulder, looking him straight in the eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

 

****

Since coming to prison, Callaghan had been cut off from everyone he knew. His daughter had yet to fully recover from her time in the pod—he wasn’t sure she would want to see him even if she could make the trip herself—and no one from the institute wanted anything to do with him, least of all his former students. Though they had treated him with some level of compassion while the portal consumed Krei Tech, that hadn’t translated to any form of communication once he was arrested.

Not that he hadn’t tried to start the conversation himself. Eighteen letters to six different people and an eternity of frustration could attest to that.

So when the guards told him he had a visitor, he was surprised to say the least. That surprise increased considerably when he saw Hiro coming towards him, Tadashi’s robot following behind with the guard. Judging from the absolute fury that marred the boy’s expression, so similar to the one he’d had that day on the island, Callaghan could guess what this was about.

“I guess you finally found him, huh?” he said as a greeting.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Hiro growled, leaning over the table as if he was barely restraining himself from grabbing Callaghan and throttling him.

“I sent you several letters these past few weeks. You must not have read them.”

“The first one was garbage.”

“I’d forgotten about him until after that one.”

“How could you just _forget_ that you beat and starved my brother?!”

“A lot happened. I was adjusting and it slipped my mind. It’s also hard to get your point across when you’re in jail.”

“You could have called.”

A scoff. “As if I have your number or any contacts that would.”

“But you acted like he died in the fire!”

“I never said that.”

“You called it his ‘mistake.’”

“And it was. What fool runs into a burning building untrained and unprotected? Really, you both should be glad I was there for that much.”

Breathing hard, Hiro pushed himself off the table violently and started pacing. Callaghan watched him closely for a moment before glancing at Baymax, who hadn’t moved since it had entered and continued to focus its cameras on him. Despite its non-threatening exterior and expressionless face, the robot’s gaze unnerved him more than the raging teen before him.

Suddenly, Hiro stopped. “Why did you take him?”

Startled, Callaghan replied eloquently, “What?”

“ _Why did you kidnap my brother_?”

Hiro leaned towards him again, glaring, and Callaghan instinctively put his hands up as a barrier between them. “It wasn’t intentional,” he answered quickly. “When your plans are so dependent on a single event, any witness to your survival is problematic to say the least.”

“Tadashi was ‘problematic’?”  

“I couldn’t afford any mistakes! Besides, your brother’s smart; he could help me reverse-engineer the microbots and rebuild the portal. I was going to let him out after I had my revenge, but as you can see, I’m in here instead of out there.”

“So you just assumed you wouldn’t get caught.”

“I had several escape strategies; I just didn’t plan for losing my microbots and—”

“None of us expected Abigail.” There was no sympathy in Hiro’s expression as he added, “That doesn’t excuse anything you’ve done.”

Callaghan sighed; this was going nowhere. “You got your brother back, Hiro,” he said. “What more do you want from me?”

“I want answers! You didn’t—you didn’t see—” The boy’s voice choked up, starting to fray along the edges. “He was nearly dead when we found him! How could you just forget about him?”

“I didn’t plan for prolonged capture,” Callaghan admitted, “but I did expect to be away for a while. I left him enough food and water to last several weeks.”

“That didn’t look like several weeks of food to me.”

“Look, I’m not about to apologize when it was you who refused to listen to me in the first place.”

Hiro leapt across the table, grabbing Callaghan’s shirt with one hand as he made a fist with the other. Callaghan flinched, but the blow never came.

“Hiro, I would advise you to calm down. My programming prevents me from allowing harm to come to a human being.” Baymax placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder whilst staring at Callaghan, as if daring him to retaliate.

The robot moved to guide them both away, but Hiro shrugged it off, giving Callagan one last searing look. “Correction,” he said quietly. “Those were _my_ microbots.” Then, Baymax close behind, he turned around and marched out of the room.

 

****

“Hiro, it is getting late. Your friends have contacted you with their location, and we have met with Professor Callaghan.” The robot paused a second. “Your blood pressure is elevated, and—”

“Shut up for a while, okay, Baymax?”

Hiro couldn’t calm down. He was pacing again, back and forth along the edge of the roof. They had suited back up and landed on top of a building after leaving the prison, and while Baymax had made several attempts to steer him away from the ledge to avoid falling, he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings.

Hiro wanted nothing more than to completely destroy his former role model, but he knew that wouldn’t be what Tadashi wanted, even though Tadashi had more right than anyone to seek revenge against Callaghan. His anger towards the former professor and his feelings of betrayal had returned in full force, so close to what had led him to remove Baymax’s healthcare chip the first time. Among the waves of hurt, the similarity made Hiro nervous.

“May I ask a question, Hiro?”

“What is it?”

“Seeing Tadashi did not trigger the same neural response in you as it did in your friends. Their predominant emotion was happiness, but you seemed… fearful. Why is that?”

The corners of his eyes stung as he slowed his movements. Finally coming to a stop, he answered, “I don’t know...I’ve just never seen Tadashi like that. Even when I thought he’d died, I always thought of him as being strong. He ran into a burning building because he was strong, because he thought he could help. But you saw him; he’s so weak, and now he needs our help, and...I don’t know.” Hiro ran his hands through his hair, pulling it slightly in aggravation.

“My sensors indicate that you are withholding something from me. In order to be a more effective health care companion, I insist on full disclosure.”

Hiro chuckled weakly at Baymax’s attitude. “I don’t know, buddy,” he repeated, relaxing slightly. “It’s just...I thought Tadashi was gone.” A few tears made their way down his cheeks. “That sucked. But I was dealing with it! I was dealing with the fact that my brother wouldn’t be around anymore, and I thought I was gonna be okay with that. I _was_ okay with that. But now he’s back and...I don’t know. I want him around; really I do, but it still hurts, you know? Like...what were those two months even for? I was just starting to work through everything and now I’m thrown yet another curveball...”

He tugged off his helmet to quickly wipe away the tears. “I’m just so confused. And to top it all off, Tadashi’s in such bad shape; I’m scared that while I try to figure everything out, I’ll do something wrong and hurt him. He’s changed now; he needs help more than ever, but I’m not sure if I’m cut out for the job. I’m not my brother.” Hiro looked up at Baymax, his expression conflicted. “I don’t know what to do.”

“The answers you are seeking are not available in my database,” Baymax answered. “However, as you are currently experiencing symptoms similar to grief, my advice would be to seek out the company of friends and loved ones.”

Hiro laughed. “Of course it is,” he said, sighing slightly. “I guess we should head over to the hospital then, go see those friends and lo—wait, shoot, Aunt Cass! What do we tell her?!”

 

****

The inside of the hospital was just as uninviting as she remembered. Even the pastel pink tiles felt cold and sterile, and Gogo tried her best not to shudder in distaste. The sooner they got out of here, the better, preferably with Tadashi in tow.

Tadashi. His mere presence simply blew Gogo away; by all accounts he should have been dead, should have been incinerated in the fire, and yet they had just found him, starved, injured, and sick, but alive. No one had spoken more than absolutely necessary since leaving the island, and they’d barely remembered to change out of their suits before touching down at the hospital.

Looking around, Gogo was reminded of all the times she’d been dragged to the hospital herself after a fall off her bike. Often, it had been against her will, and several of the group would sit in the waiting room with her as silently as they were now, making sure she actually saw a doctor.

During these trips to the ER, Fred was usually the most animated and would fill the quiet with inane chatter when he was with them. Now, however, he sat and stared at the wall in front of them, not even looking up when a doctor came out of the double doors at the end of the hall.

By contrast, Wasabi couldn’t seem to keep still, and kept bouncing his leg hard enough to shake Honey’s seat. She didn’t complain, instead glancing from team member to team member anxiously, as if expecting one of them to explode at any moment.

Gogo wanted nothing else but to be back in her suit, protected from the chill of the waiting room and the feeling of exposure. She felt raw, emotionally trapped between the joy of finding Tadashi and the sobering knowledge that he was far from recovered.

The doors opened again, and finally, a voice called, “Friends of Tadashi Hamada?”

They all jumped out of their seats and rushed to the nurse, startling her with their zealousness. “Is he gonna be okay?” Honey Lemon asked first, her voice desperate.

“Mr. Hamada is expected to make a full recovery,” the nurse informed them, smiling. “Normally we wouldn’t let anyone but his family see him yet, as he’s still in a fragile state, but Mr. Krei asked us to make an exception in this case. So, if you all would follow me, I’ll take you to his room.”

They all exchanged looks of elation and followed the nurse through the double doors, truly smiling for the first time in what felt like forever.

The smiles dropped away as soon as they reached his room. Seeing their best friend hooked up to so many wires and monitors was alarming, and Tadashi looked worse than they remembered. The lighting in the hospital reminded Gogo of his room—his cell—on the island, yet here he seemed paler, his skin almost bloodless. Several IVs ran from his skeletal, bandaged arms, and Gogo could see far too much of Tadashi’s collarbones protruding above his hospital gown. For the first time she could remember, Tadashi Hamada looked fragile, like one wrong move could break him.

Then the image of those haunted eyes from the island resurfaced in her memory. Maybe he’d already been broken.

Carefully, they approached him and crowded around the bed. Honey took the stool on Tadashi’s right and gingerly took his fingers in hers. Her lips trembled, and her other hand came up to cover her mouth as dry sobs shook her. Fred wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly, but even he seemed seconds away from breaking down. Wasabi dragged a seat over from the wall so he could sit on the other side, resting his arms on the bed, a hand on his friend’s arm. Gogo joined him on that side, preferring to stand, even though she hated the shadow she cast over Tadashi, hated how it felt like she towered over a man who should by all rights tower over her.

If this was how she felt, how would Hiro feel?

“I hope Hiro gets here soon,” Honey Lemon said quietly, as if reading her thoughts. “I think Tadashi would want to see his brother.”

Something wet hit Gogo’s cheek. “Yeah,” she agreed shakily, turning to the window, more to mask her grief than to look for the boy and his robot. “I think he’d like that.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic has not been abandoned! But it’s been a while. However, now that school’s out, we’ve both got a bit more free time, and even with summer jobs we’ll hopefully be posting more frequently. The rough for chapter 4 has been written, and so we’ll be editing that and writing chapter 5 over the next gap between posts. Now that we’ve got time things will be going much more smoothly. Please continue to comment! We got several comments over the hiatus and it’s been really great to see that people are still reading this fic.
> 
> Okay so in actuality, I have about as much free time, if not less, as I did while school was in session because I’m taking summer classes in addition to having a full time job, but I have somehow managed to squeeze in time to work on this thing with TB because I love all of you and may possible hate myself (or maybe just hate sleeping). Anyway, thank you to everyone that commented on the last chapter! We’re sorry that it takes us so long to post chapters, but it’s so wonderful that you guys are so supportive of this fic and leave us such nice reviews ;w; I hope you like this chapter!

Hiro ran home to grab Aunt Cass on the way to the hospital, spouting half truths to quell her skepticism at the idea of her nephew coming back from the dead. While Hiro definitely felt it was only right for his aunt to be able to see the nephew she loved, he also wanted her there for support as he finally faced his brother.

When they finally reached the hospital, Hiro lagged behind while she signed them in at the front desk and checked what room Tadashi was in. After several long moments, the nurse behind the counter handed them a slip of paper and Aunt Cass was off, practically dragging Hiro down several halls and up three flights of stairs—the elevator was too slow—before reaching his brother’s room. She rushed inside immediately, but Hiro hesitated outside.

“This is stupid, Baymax,” he sighed, exasperated. “I don’t know what’s keeping me out here.”

“It is difficult to come to terms with a loss; it is probable that the same can be applied to the opposite process. What you are experiencing is a natural response to great emotional turmoil.”

“Nothing about this feels natural,” Hiro grumbled.

“Hey, kid, the door’s open.” Hiro jumped, focusing on Gogo who had poked her head out the door. The skin around her eyes was red and puffy, a look he’d never seen on her before, even when they had been mourning Tadashi. Her barriers must have broken down under the stress of seeing him again.

She made a disagreeable expression as he continued to stare. “What? You have something to say?”

He quickly shook his head. With a roll of her too bright eyes, she slipped back into the room, Hiro not too far behind.

They’d cleaned him up a bit, but that simply made the changes in him stand out more. Too pale, too thin, too… not Tadashi. Hiro’s first instinct was to take a hold of him and never let go again, but he stopped his hand as he reached out, too scared that touching his brother would shatter the illusion that he had returned.

He’d known to some degree that _something_ was on the island, a distant nagging in the back of his head arising soon after Callaghan’s arrest. He never imagined it was Tadashi, though, and it still felt too surreal, like an elaborate dream.

The alternative, though, was that this _was_ real, and Hiro wasn’t sure he was ready to see how things had changed.

But it had to happen at some point, right? His brother had changed, but so had he. Now Hiro was stronger, wiser, more capable. Even if he wasn’t sure he was ready, he could handle it. Yes, he _would_ handle it.

Maybe it was time he protected Tadashi.

Holding tightly to that thought, he grasped Tadashi’s hand in his—and this time, he wasn’t letting go.

****

Two days. It’d been almost two days since they’d gotten Tadashi to the hospital, and in Fred’s opinion, it had been two days too long since he’d seen Tadashi conscious.

The past two months had been especially worrisome for Fred. He’d been the last person pulled into their friend group, and he _knew_ he stuck out: Fred wasn’t particularly savvy about anything STEM-related, and he even had trouble adjusting to new popular tech, especially smart glasses and phones. It had been Tadashi who insisted on including Fred, seeing the other as another Nerd of Epic Proportions and dragging Fred into all sorts of pop-culture related discussions.

Tadashi was the only one who could keep up with Fred’s encyclopedic knowledge of tropes and fandom, having picked up on them after so many movie nights with Aunt Cass, and where Tadashi started, the rest of the nerd lab followed. Honey and Wasabi in particular took to consuming media with incredible zeal, and though their choices of genre were not Fred’s favorites (crime shows and indie movies, respectively), there was enough overlap to facilitate conversation. Gogo remained a complete mystery to Fred, but she seemed to enjoy pointing out every available flaw in their favorite works and watching the four of them scramble to defend them.

But then Tadashi had died, and on top of tragically losing one of his closest friends Fred had become suddenly unsure of his place amongst his friends. How would the group stay together without Tadashi? Could Fred still fit in with them, or would they slowly drift away? Even though the others made a good effort to continue including Fred, there was the ever-present divide of chosen career paths and interests that loomed overhead.

This feeling of being left out of some cosmic inside joke had always been there, though, even with Tadashi, so though Fred’s anxiety over it increased, nothing ever actually happened, and then _Hiro_ had happened, and then other things…And now this.

The rest of the team had trickled out, wanting to give the family privacy and knowing that school wouldn’t wait for their personal crisis to end. They’d returned individually in between and after classes, but for the most part it had just been the Hamadas and Baymax.

Eventually, Aunt Cass had to go back to the café, but before she left she called Fred to come watch over Hiro and keep him company. He brought their friend some notes the others had taken for him and a small box of new comics and settled in for a few hours of quiet.

Fred was on his third comic when Tadashi started to stir, muttering unintelligibly in his sleep. Next to him, Hiro slowly lowered his Advanced Particle Physics textbook as his brother began to move, twitching, his voice getting steadily louder.

They closed their books quietly, moving to stand next to Tadashi’s bed. Hiro reached out to put a hand on his brother’s arm.

Tadashi shot up, wide eyed. Hiro recoiled, and Tadashi swiveled his head around frantically before resting his gaze on his brother. Almost inaudibly, he mumbled, “No.”

Open mouthed, Hiro started to say his brother’s name when Tadashi lunged forward, arms looking to grab him. Instinctively, Fred threw himself between them, hands taking a hold of his friend’s wrists as he tried to push him back onto the bed and keep him from accidentally hurting himself or Hiro.

The moment they touched, Tadashi jerked backwards violently, out of his grip, the movement ripping out his IVs and moving him dangerously close to the other edge of the bed. His breathing rose to an almost impossible rate, monitors screeching in protest as he fought off an invisible foe, eyes staring straight at them without truly seeing.

Fred dove for the call button, and Hiro’s voice rose above the chaos.

“Tadashi, no!”

****

_Professor! Professor Callaghan!_

Wh—Tadashi, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be here! Leave!

No, we have to get out of here; it isn’t sa—wait, what are you doing with my brother’s—

The sound of microbots surrounding him brought him to wakefulness abruptly, painfully. For one terrifying second, he thought perhaps Callaghan had returned and his body seized involuntarily at the idea.

A voice called to him, younger, familiar, but it was like he was hearing it from underwater. Nothing he saw was comprehensible, the image shaking and twisting into a parody of reality through his feverish eyes. When he felt something touch him, he immediately recoiled, not registering that it was softer and warmer than either the microbots or Callaghan.

The voice continued to say his name, frantically, repeatedly, and his mind briefly recognized it as _Hiro_ before his world went black once more.

****

Hiro worried his bottom lip with his teeth, gaze locked on his now sedated brother. There’d been a moment of elation as Tadashi had come back into consciousness, but as soon as Hiro had seen his expression, it was clear something was wrong. The panic, the fear—what had he been seeing?

Hiro’s eyes traveled down to the soft restraints now wrapped around Tadashi’s wrists. He knew it was for everyone’s benefit, but there was something wrong about tying up someone who had been in captivity for so long.

“Hiro,” Baymax waddled into the room, a bag of gummy bears in his hand. “I found the candy you were looking for.”

“Thanks, Baymax,” Hiro replied absently, not looking up.

“There are no vending machines nearby, so it took more time than expected to retrieve them.” Baymax looked around, analyzing the room. “You seem troubled. Did something happen while I was gone?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just...Don’t leave anymore, okay? Stay with Tadashi. I’ll get snacks myself next time.”

“Where is Fred?”

“He went home.”

“Aunt Cass asked Fred to stay here with us.”

“It’s fine; Aunt Cass is coming here anyway, and he wanted to clear his head after Tadashi—” He took in a shaky breath, putting his head in his hands. “Baymax, I don’t—there’s something really _wrong_. Tadashi was _scared_ of us.”

The robot pieced together what happened from Hiro’s scattered retelling of it. “It is common for patients with high fevers to hallucinate, especially after trauma. If a patient shows an aversion to touch, it is important to avoid bodily contact and speak to them calmly and carefully.”

Hiro’s ears perked up. “What should I say when he wakes up?”

“It is important to ground the patient in reality, so it may be helpful to remind him who you are and that we are in the hospital. It also helps to speak slowly in small sentences.”

Hiro mulled this information around in his head, watching Tadashi pensively.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Aunt Cass opened it slowly, poking her head inside, “Hiro? I heard about what happened earlier. How are you holding up?”

“I’ll be okay, Aunt Cass,” Hiro assured her, still staring at his brother.

Aunt Cass slipped into the room and took a seat by her nephew, followed by a tall woman who looked to be in her forties. “Well, I’ve got some news, honey.”

He tore his eyes away from Tadashi. “What? What’s going on?”

“This is Dr. Espinoza,” she said softly. “She heads the team that’s taking care of Tadashi. They’re going to try to wake him up again.”

Hiro eyed the doctor appraisingly, a look the doctor returned. “What are you going to do?”

Dr. Espinoza handed Hiro the clipboard she was holding. “We’ll be attempting to pull Mr. Hamada out of sedation in hopes that we can control his reaction this time and start a refeeding process,” she spoke calmly and confidently. “It should take at least an hour, if not two.” Hiro kept watching her for a moment longer before glancing down at the clipboard, which contained Tadashi’s medical information. He raised an eyebrow at the doctor in surprise.

“I understand you’re quite intelligent for your age and close with your brother. Your aunt was adamant about including you in our discussions,” she explained, smiling. “The anaesthesiologist should be here soon. In the meantime…” she turned curiously to Baymax. “I understand that this is a project of yours?”

“Baymax is really Tadashi’s, I just kept him and made some upgrades,” Hiro said, and even as he began to wax poetic about the nursebot he didn’t miss the relieved look on his aunt’s face.

****

“You were trying to distract me,” Hiro commented once he and his aunt were alone. The doctor had finished preparing Tadashi and had left to visit other patients while the sedation wore off.

“What? What gave you that idea?” Aunt Cass asked nervously, smoothing out a small crease in Tadashi’s blankets.

Hiro rolled his eyes with a lopsided grin on his face. “It was pretty obvious,” he said. After a moment, he added, “Thanks, though. I appreciate the effort.”

Aunt Cass wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I try, sweetie. Are you sure you’re okay, though?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Hiro lied, the files on that clipboard coming to mind. He’d memorized them the moment he’d read them, the words “ABUSE” and “PURPOSEFUL NEGLECT” standing out in his mind. Beyond that, he had fixated on Tadashi’s weight; while Hiro had known just from looking at him that he’d be severely underweight, discovering his older, taller brother now weighed less than he did was like a punch in the gut.

And scribbled at the end was a small note, probably added on this afternoon: ”Signs of posttraumatic stress.”

Flashes of anger, sadness, and pain ripped through him at the thought. Since visiting the prison, he’d been turning over different scenarios in his head, and he’d given the professor the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he’d really just forgotten. But Tadashi’s behavior told a different story; clearly malnourishment was the least of their problems. Hiro almost wanted to fly back for a second round with Callaghan, but his desire to stay by his brother’s side trumped the feeling.

It still hurt.

He was grateful when Aunt Cass finally interrupted his train of thought. “By the way, Hiro,” Aunt Cass began, “the police came by the cafe to talk today. I don’t think they’ll bother either of you until your brother gets better, but just a heads up in case they do—they want a statement from us, preferably before Callaghan’s court appearance in a few months.”

Hiro pursed his lips, not particularly fond of dealing with police, even without the secret vigilante identity to hide. “If they come here, I’ll talk to them, but otherwise, I’d rather not.”

Aunt Cass gave him a small smile in hopes of warding off the darker atmosphere. “I know, honey. I’m just telling you now for future reference.”

They switched to lighter topics, like his school work, his latest project, and his previous project— rocket boots—which almost torpedoed Mochi into the television.

They had just begun discussing a movie they’d both seen recently when a small groan came from the bed. Even being as engrossed in the conversation as they’d been, both Hamadas immediately turned towards Tadashi, dragging their chairs as close to the headboard as they could.

“Tadashi?” Hiro said tentatively. When his brother turned slightly in his direction, eyes fluttering open, he continued, slowly but strongly, “It’s Hiro, your brother.”

As Tadashi woke, his frame became more rigid. A raspy, garbled sound came out of his mouth, which Hiro translated as confusion. Aunt Cass moved to put a reassuring hand on Tadashi’s, but Hiro intercepted it, holding it carefully in his.

“It’s okay,” he assured him. “You’re safe. You’re in a hospital with me, Aunt Cass, and Baymax.”

“Bay...m…”

“Yeah, Baymax is here.”

Tadashi’s eyes finally focused on him, much more lucid than the last time they’d been open. “Hi...ro?”

Hiro smiled, moving in his seat excitedly.”Yeah, it’s me, Hiro! Can you hear me okay?”

Tadashi nodded, the corner of his lip twitching upward as he relaxed. “Wh’s goin’ on?” he slurred tiredly.

“You’re in the hospital, Tadashi,” Aunt Cass repeated.

Hiro turned his attention to Baymax for a moment. “Baymax, go get the doctor.” The robot nodded and waddled off.

“Why’re we…?” Tadashi asked, the sedation slowly making its way out of his speech.

Just then the doctor entered, prompting a slight flinch from Tadashi as the door opened. “Mr. Hamada? I’m Dr. Espinoza.”

Tadashi still looked confused, but comprehension didn’t seem completely lost, prompting the doctor to continue.

“I just wanted to tell you that you’ve been unconscious for about two days.” She looked over her notes. “You came here malnourished, dehydrated, and with several wounds, broken bones and a fever of 39ºC. We’ll be keeping you here until we’ve remedied those issues. Sound good?”

Tadashi stared at her blankly, not realizing he’d been asked a question.

She continued on anyway. “I know this is a lot for you to take in; we understand that until recently you haven’t been in the best living conditions, and we will be doing everything we can to make you comfortable while we bring you back to full strength. That, unfortunately, includes these,” she said, motioning to the restraints. “We’re keeping these on as a precaution until we’re sure that you are stable, okay?”

Something seemed to click in Tadashi’s mind as he nodded slowly, his eyebrows still furrowed in confusion.

She brought out a bottle and a straw. “We’ve been giving you nutrients through the IV, but that can only go so far, so we’re going to start you off with a little glucose solution.”

Out of habit, he tried to take the bottle himself, but the restraints kept his arms from moving very much. Dr. Espinoza handed the bottle to Aunt Cass, who held the straw up to Tadashi’s mouth. “Drink slowly,” she told him, before turning to the doctor. “Why sugar water?”

Dr. Espinoza smiled. “Tadashi’s body is no longer used to normal food. Sugar water will give his body easy access to the energy it needs to start healing while also hydrating him. It’s common procedure to use milk for the first two to three days.”

“Tadashi is lactose intolerant,” Baymax intoned. “Feeding him milk could lead to gastrointestinal discomfort or harm.”

Dr. Espinoza nodded in acknowledgement. “Exactly. Your robot knows its stuff. That’s why we substituted this with sugar water. Depending on Tadashi’s progress, we can move on to fruit juices or broths next, and he can start eating more solid foods like bread and eggs within next two weeks.”

Aunt Cass nodded absently, focusing again on her task.

“Is this all you’re giving him?” Hiro asked. “It doesn’t seem like much.”

“Patients that haven’t eaten for an extended period of time are at risk for refeeding syndrome if they eat too much too soon. After this, we’ll be coming back every few hours to give him another bottle like this one, and we’ll gradually increase the amount we give him, following the schedule I mentioned before.”

The doctor took away the bottle once Tadashi was finished. He definitely seemed more alert now that he’d consumed something, his eyes searching around the room with more energy and focus. Hiro could see a familiar spark of curiosity in his brother’s eyes when they met his, and his heart gave a hopeful leap.

Dr. Espinoza took down some notes after a glance at the monitors around the bed and said, “All right, Mr. Hamada, everything looks alright. I don’t think there’s any reason to force you to sleep, but you should rest soon. I’ll be seeing you again in a few hours.” She turned to Aunt Cass and Hiro. “Do either of you have any other questions?”

“I think we’re good,” Aunt Cass assured her with a small smile.

“Ask the desk to page me if anything comes up. I’ll leave you three alone, but remember, he isn’t in much of a state for chatter. Don’t keep him up long.”

As soon as the door closed, Aunt Cass took Tadashi’s hand before Hiro could react. “Sweetheart, it’s so good to see you awake. We’ve been so worried.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Tadashi replied softly, smiling wanly, almost fooling Hiro before he noticed how his brother’s hand shook in their aunt’s hold.

Aunt Cass looked down at their hands, horrified. “Ah, we should let you rest,” she said quickly, letting him go as naturally as she could.

“Yeah, you look beat,” Hiro chimed in, trying his best to smooth over the moment. He turned to their aunt. “Hey, Aunt Cass, can I talk to Tadashi alone for a bit before he goes back to sleep? It won’t be long. You too, Baymax; why don’t you go outside?”

She nodded, scurrying to the door, Baymax not to far behind. There, she paused. “Tadashi, I love you so very much,” she said, giving them both a thin-lipped smile . “We’ll be here for you for as long as you need us.”

Hiro exhaled once she closed the door behind her and immediately undid the restraints on his brother’s arms. “Tadashi—”

“It’s that bad, huh?” Tadashi rasped.

“Yeah.” He hesitated before saying, “You look a lot better, though. Than before, I mean.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Hiro replied. “You were really…out of it, you know? I don’t really want to see that again.”

Tadashi smiled weakly. “I hope you don’t have to either.” He punctuated the sentence with a yawn.

Hiro grinned back. “I meant it when I said you looked beat. You should go back to sleep. I’ll still be here when you get back, you know.”

Tadashi nodded. “Hey, by the way,” he mumbled, eyes drooping closed, “thanks.”

“Of course,” Hiro said. “I’m still your brother, right? There’s no way I’m leaving you alone right now.”

“Well, not just for that.” One of Tadashi’s eyes opened again slightly, watching Hiro closely. The hand closest to Hiro lifted from the bed, visibly shaking as it angled towards his head and prompted Hiro to lean his head down and let his brother tousle his hair. Tadashi’s hand was still warm from the fever and his skin was leathery and dry, a reminder that even though Tadashi was back, there was still a long way to go before he was better. “You’ll always be my brother,” he whispered.

“Well thanks, I guess—”

“Even if you do go running around as a superhero.”

“Wait, what?!” Hiro gaped at his brother. “How did you—”

“Hiro, I might have been only half awake, but I do have a couple of memories from when you rescued me, and it’s really hard to miss Baymax. Also, I’d know your tech anywhere. Nice suits, by the way.”

“Unbelievable.”

That earned him toothy grin.

“We’ll talk about it some other time,” Tadashi murmured, closing his eye again as exhaustion took over.  

“Yeah, okay,” Hiro whispered. “Sleep well, _Nii-chan_.”

Tadashi hummed in response as he relaxed, and his breathing quickly evened out as he fell back into sleep.

Hiro tiptoed over to the door, quietly slipping out. He motioned for Baymax to go back in and watch over his brother, then closed the door and looked around for his aunt.

Aunt Cass sat on a bench by the door, looking down at the hands in her lap. In the wake of the comforting chat with his brother, he’d almost forgotten the shock Aunt Cass had experienced.

“Aunt Cass? Are you okay?” he asked tentatively, sitting down next to her.

In response, she threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly like her life depended on it. “He was so scared of me, Hiro,” she whimpered. “I didn’t know what to do."

He could feel tears soaking into his hoodie. He returned the embrace, taking comfort in the almost suffocating warmth of his family. Tadashi, Aunt Cass—they were all he needed, and he would do everything he could to protect them.

“We’ll make it through this together, Aunt Cass,” he said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

 


End file.
